When one hears the words “Middle East”, most people form an immediate image in their minds: Sand, Oil, AK-47’s and explosions. The region has been a hotbed of warfare and terror for generations.

Because the US is still heavily dependent upon foreign oil, our national interests are at stake in the region. For this reason, every administration since Truman has had to address Mid-East issues as a significant segment of American foreign policy.

Unfortunately, Americans in general – and our politicians in particular – don’t seem to “get it” when it comes to the nature of the situation in the region. This fundamental disconnect with the realities of the region dooms every effort and initiative put forth out of Washington to failure.

The Enemy: We are currently at war – but we don’t seem to know with whom or with what! The so-called “War on Terror” is a misnomer. Terror is a tactic, not an enemy. We are at war with those who utilize this tactic against us, our interests and our allies.

This enemy is not bound by geography or political borders. This enemy does not wear a uniform. This enemy recruits women and children into warfare. The enemy is an ideology! The ideology is Jihad. Islamic radicalism.

Jihadists have only one goal – to establish the world-wide caliphate. To institute Sharia law on a global scale. To convert or kill any non-muslim. They are willing and eager to die in this pursuit. Jihad is not localized to Iraq/Afghanistan. It is not restricted to the Arab/Israeli conflict. It is global in scope and in intent.

The Arab/Israeli Conflict: From the moment Israel was formed as a nation, the surrounding Islamic states have sought her destruction. They view the Jewish State as an affront, akin to pigs and monkeys trampling their holy land. This offense extends beyond the jihadist ideology, which seeks global caliphate. It permeates all Islam. There will never be an end to Islamic effort to re-take the Holy Land and to drive the Jews into the sea. Peaceful co-existence is not a long-term option for most of Islam – much less for the Jihadis.

US Support for Israel: The “we must understand why they hate us” crowd loves to point to US support for Israel as the cause of all our troubles with the Jihadis. If only we’d hang Israel out to dry, they’d leave us alone. But the Islamic Radicals are not only seeking to destroy Israel. And they don’t hate us only because of our support for Israel… though it is a great rhetorical tool for them to recruit soldiers to their cause. No, the jihadis hate the US for much more than our support of Israel. They hate us for our democracy. They hate us for our wealth. They hate us for our liberation of women. They hate us for our freedom. They hate us for our immoralities. Most of all they hate us for our being “infidels” and having influence in the world. If Israel did not exist, we would still be their target and focus.

Dipomacy/Negotiation: The West is obsessed with talk. Political correctness demands that everything be negotiated and worked out across the table. Perhaps this is desirable amongst the nations of polite society… however negotiation is by definition the art of compromise. The finding of a middle ground which can be mutually acceptable. Unfortunately, for the jihadis there is no acceptable middle ground. Convert or kill all infidels, or die trying, is their only option. They will, however, use our obsession with negotiation to their own advantage. Placating us with talk, they gain opportunity to regroup, rearm, and strategize their next attack. Witness the result of Israel’s giveaway of Gaza!

Diplomacy is only possible where both sides are capable of compromise. When one party to a negotiation has an immutable agenda and the willingness to die in the pursuit of its fulfillment, there is nothing to be gained by negotiation as there is no possibility of mitigating their position. There is no mutually beneficial or mutually acceptable common ground. To believe otherwise is little more than politically correct pie-in-the-sky pipe dreaming.

Democratization/Nation Building: Americans believe that by democratizing Iraq and Afghanistan we will create allies friendly to the west. By liberating these peoples from dictatorial regimes and creating new democratic political entities we are supposed to reap the benefit of the appreciation and friendship of the people.

While on a local level, we are seeing some encouraging results, towns and villages are showing friendliness to our troops as they build schools and hospitals and rebuild infrastructure; however the overall effort is unlikely to result in a sustained pro-western culture. A political democracy does not inherently create a pro-western mindset. Witness the recent election victories of Hamas! When given the vote, the choice went for the terrorists!

Is there a workable solution? One must wonder. The apocalyptic minded among us will point out that the conflict is predicted to go on right to the very end. The pragmatic will recognize that maintaining a longterm presence in Iraq/Afghanistan would be considered an occupation, which is an inflammatory provocation. Conversely, a precipitous withdrawal projects weakness and leaves a vacuum. Political Correctness will keep us from leveling hotspots like Fallujah. It will prevent us from implementing prudent profiling. There will be inside-the-US attacks – it is an inevitability.

Reducing our dependence on Middle Eastern oil will help – both in terms of the blackmail threat they hold over us with the oil, and in reducing our funding of these states.

We must acknowledge that Saudi Arabia is no friend of the US as long as they support the madrassas which preach hate and train children to be jihadis. The house of Saud may occasionally keep a lid on oil prices – but this alone does not make them our ally.

Long term occupation by ground troops has been shown to be ineffective given the impatient and risk averse nature of our present-day society. Therefore a strategic shift to an over-the-horizon force to represent Americas interests may become the next move. When things heat up to a threat against our interests, a few cruise missiles or daisy-cutters will make our point for us. Rapid response of this nature to belligerent acts against us may prove at least as effective as long term occupation has been.

The reality of life today is that we must be ever vigilant against Jihad, at home and abroad. The threat is not just “over there” but in our own neighborhoods; and it’s not going away any time soon – regardless of who holds elected office or of their policies. Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, we are engaged in a cultural duel to the death. We had best take stock and develop a strategy to survive.